Locomotive firebox



Nov. 30, 1943.

c. A. SIEGEL LOCOMOTIVE FIREBOX 2 Sheets-Shet 1 Filed April 30 1942 a A TORNEYS.

Nov. 30, 1943. c, A. SIEGEL LOGOMOTIVE FIREBOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 30, 1942 ZINVE%OR: BY 7 v I r QZM'MWJRNEYS.

Patented Nov. 30, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOCOMOTIVE FIREBOX Chester A. Siegel, Newark, N. .L, assignor to American Arch Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application April 30, 1942, Serial No. 441,182

7 Claims.

This invention relates to locomotive fireboxes, and is particularly concerned with water steaming and circulating equipment for such fireboxes.

In coal-burning locomotives, it has long been customary to employ a refractory arch, most usually extended upwardly and rearwardly from the lower forward edge of the firebox, thereby causing the fuel and flame stream to pass rearwardly and then forwardly over the rear edge of the arch before entering the flue tubes in the boiler. Various forms of water circulator elements have also heretofore commonly been employed for support of the fire bricks of which the refractory arch is composed.

One of the major objects of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved arrangement of circulator elements for supporting a fire brick arch.

At the same time, the invention contemplates improving boiler circulation, especiall in the water spaces surrounding the firebox.

More specifically, the invention contemplates employment, in a single installation, of both transverse and longitudinal water circulator elements. In the preferred arrangement, the transverse and longitudinal elements are interconnected so as to provide a unified circulation system, as will further appear.

The interconnection of various circulator elements, as herein disclosed, is also of advantage for structural reasons. Thus, the interconnected elements not only serve to interbrac each other, but further serve to provide a structure of adequate strength to carry the refractory arch.

How the foregoing and other object and advantages are attained will appear more fully from the following description, referring to the accompanying drawings, in whi-ch- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through a locomotive firebox equipped with circulator devices in accordance with one form of the invention; 3

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the section line 2-2 on Figure 1; and

Figures 3 and 4 are views similar to Figures 1 and 2, but illustrating a modified construction.

The firebox is defined by various sheets, including the side sheets 5-5, crown sheet 6, throat sheet I and back sheet 8. All of these sheets cooperate with outside sheets to provide water legs substantially completely surrounding the firebox. Thus, the outside or wrapper sheet 9 is bent downwardly at the sides to cooperate with side sheets 5. An outside sheet l completes the Water space at the throat and an outside sheet I I similarly cooperates with the back sheet 8. The lower edge of the side water legs is closed by a mud ring l2. The usual fire door i3 is provided through the backhead.

Flue tubes I4 (only two of which are shown terminate in a flue sheet I5 at the forward end of the firebox.

The usual grates may be located at the bottom of the firebox, ordinarily in the plane of the mud ring l2.

A transverse circulator element I6 is arranged in the lower forward portion of the firebox, this element preferably being of fiat bodied construction, as clearly appears in Figure 2, having its ends connected with the side water legs. This circulator element I6 is preferably of substantial volume, so as to constitute a reservoir on which various of the tube connections (later described) may draw.

The upper edge of the transverse body It is inclined upwardly from each side, and at the center or high point an outlet tube l'l extends upwardly for connection with the. crown sheet-6.

A similar transverse circulator body I8 is 10- catedpreferably in the upper rear portion of the firebox, as clearly appears in Figure 1, this body also being provided with an outlet element L! which is coupled with the crown sheet 6.

A set of circulator tubes 20 (three being shown in Figure 2) extends upwardly and rearwardly from the body I 6 to the body [8, serving to interconnect these two circulator bodies.

An additional group of tubes 2! interconnects body 18 with the backhead.

-With the circulator parts arranged as just d escribed, thetubes 20 are located in an effective position for supporting fire brick 22 which constitute the major portion of the fire arch. .Ahead of the circulator body [6, bricks 23 are arranged so as to span the space forwardly to the throat sheet 1.

By virtue of the foregoing, a very rigid circulator structure is provided for supporting the arch brick 22, it being noted that the span of tubes 20 is much shorter than in certain common arch constructions, wherein the tubes extend all the way from the throat sheet to thebackhead.

Moreover, the circulation provided by the several interconnected circulator elements is ofa highly effective character. Note that the transverse bodies It and I8 are not only coupled with the water space above the crown sheet, but are also interconnected, the entire system still further being coupled with the water space at the backhead.

The construction of Figures 3 and 4 is similar to that described above, with one major difference, i. e., the provision of an additional set of tubes 24 interconnecting the forward circulator body a and the throat sheet i. This forward set of tubes not only further enhances the circulation, because of providing an inlet to the system from the throat but, in addition, these tubes 24 provide a convenient support for refractory brick 25 constituting a continuation of the arch provided by bricks 22.

As seen in Figure 4, the transverse body lfia is of somewhat different configuration than that shown in Figure 2. In this case the body is transversely arched at both its upper and lower edges.

In each form of construction, the transverse circulato bodies it or Mia and I8 desirably lie in planes substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal tubes 2%, 2i and 24. The making of tube connections is thereby simplified and, in addition, complication is avoided in making the fire brick installation. In fact, brick of uniform shape may be used throughout the major portion of the arch. Maximum convenience (because of this uniformity) is afforded by the arrangement of Figures 3 and 4, wherein the brick 25 may be of the same type as brick 22.

Both forms of the invention have still another advantage as a result of the projection of the transverse bodies it or Ilia and I8 below the plane of the arch. This increases surface area exposed for heat absorption from the fire bed and from th fuel and flame stream.

Downward projection of the lower edge of circulator body 18 is still further useful for reasons brought out more fully in my copending application filed concurrentl herewith, Serial No. 441,181. As there fully disclosed, this feature aids in reducing the quantity of cinders carried upwardly and over the rear edge of the arch, thereby correspondingly reducing cinder cutting (of staybolts and the like) and also plugging of the flue tubes.

Attention is called to the fact that certain features herein disclosed are also disclosed and claimed in my copending application filed concurrently herewith, Serial No. 441,180.

In efiect, the arrangement of this invention combines, in a single installation, certain of the advantages of longitudinally extending circulator tubes and of transverse circulator elements, at the same time overcoming some of the difficulties heretofore encountered with each type when employed separately. The interconnection of the longitudinal and transverse elements, particularly when these two sets of elements are also coupled with the crown sheet, affords a most effective circulation system interconnecting not only the side sheets and the crown sheet, but also the side sheets, throat sheet, backhead and crown sheet.

I claim:

1. In a locomotive firebox, water steaming and circulating equipment comprising a pair of transverse circulator elements having their ends connected with the side sheets, said elements being spaced from each other lengthwise of the firebox, and a plurality of circulator tubes adapted to support arch brick, the tubes being extended between and connected with said transverse elements, the forward element of said pair of transverse elements being spaced rearwardly of the firebox throat, the intervening space being bridged by refractories constituting a continuation of an arch formed by arch brick carried by said tubes.

2. A construction in accordance with claim 1 in which circulator tubes interconnect said forward transverse element and the throat sheet and serve to support said intervening refractories.

3. For a locomotive firebox, a plurality of transverse circulator elements having their ends connected with the side water legs, said elements being spaced from each other lengthwise of the fireboig an outlet for each of said elements extended upwardly therefrom for connection with the crown sheet, circulator means interconnecting said elements, and circulator means interconnecting the rear element with the boiler space surrounding the firebox in the region of the backhead.

4. For a locomotive firebox, a plurality of transverse circulator elements having their ends connected with the side water legs, said elements being spaced from each other lengthwise of the firebox, an outlet for each of said elements extended upwardly therefrom for connection with the crown sheet, circulator means interconnecting said elements, and circulator means interconnecting a forward element with the boiler space surrounding the firebox in the region of the firebox throat.

5. In a locomotive firebox, a transverse circulator element located in the lower forward portion of the firebox and having its ends connected with the side sheets, a transverse circular element located in the upper rear portion of the firebox and having its ends connected with the side sheets, circulator tubes interconnecting the said elements, and circulator tubes interconnecting said lower forward element with the throat sheet.

6. In a locomotive firebox circulator tubing extended upwardly and rearwardly and substantially in a common plane from the firebox throat, said tubing interconnecting the throat sheet and backhead, and a plurality of additional tubes extended transversely of the firebox and interconnected with the tubing first mentioned, said transversely extended tubes also being connected with the crown sheet and side sheets of the firebox.

7. In a locomotive firebox, circulator tubing extended upwardly and rearwardly and substantially in a common plane from the firebox throat, and a plurality of additional tubes extended transversely of the firebox and interconnected with the tubing first mentioned, and circulator elements interconnecting said tubing and tubes with the boiler space above the crown sheet.

CHESTER A. SIEGEL. 

